Apparatus for vactjumizing and sealing cans



' 1,626,291 1927' A. E. LINDSTROM APPARATUS FOR VACUUMIZING AND SEALING CANS Filed March 15,. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 AND/PL: w E. Z nvosrmon 1927. April, A.E. LIN'DSTROM APPARATUS FOR VACUUMIZING AND SEALING CANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' Filed March 1.5, 1926 t 3% m r LI 9 ..a 4 m l m a w E M m 4.

& uuauuvu lilo av, all/LII I PATENT QFFICE.

ANDREW E. LINDSTROM, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

APPARATUS FOR VACUUMIZING AND SEALING CANS.

Application filed March 15, 1926.

The present invention relates to improvements in apparatus for vacuumizing and sealing cans having metallic covers.

According to the present invention, a can to be operated upon is filled in the ordinary way and the cover sealed thereon, after which the filled can is placed in the machme of this invention and the machine operates, first, to puncture the sealed cover and then to withdraw the air from within the can through the opening made in the cover, and, finally, to seal the opening with solder or other fusible metal after which the can is removed from the machine and ready for shipment.

The general object of the present lnvention is the provision of an assemblage of parts so'constructed that the can to be operated upon may be readily arranged in operative relation to a vacuum chamber wherein is located a puncturing element movable to penetrate or puncture the central portlon of the cover, together with a soldering iron and a length of fusible metal which are adapted to be moved to the central portion of the cover when the puncturing element is removed there'from, whereby the soldering devices may be operated upon to deposlt sufficient solder over the opening and thusettectively seal the same.

The above and other objects are accomplished by instrumentalities pointed out in the following specification.

The invention is clearly defined in the claims.

A satisfactory embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of the specification and in which Figure 1 is a front elevatlon of the devlce.

Figure 2 is a view at right an les to Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a detail cross section on the line 6-6 of Figure 5 Serial No. 94,980.

The device of the present invention comprises a vacuum chamber a which is adapted to be arranged upright upon a support and directly over a holder Z) for the can to be operated upon. A can is shown by dotted lines in Figure 1, and is indicated generally by 0. The standard 5 of the holder 6 is adapted to slide in bearings 6 and 7 disposed in vertical alinement and arranged upon the terminal portions of a horizontally disposed U-shaped bracket 8 which is adapted to be connected to a wall or other suitable support, designated generally by 9.

A compression spring 10 surrounds the standard 5 between the bearings 6 and 7, and bears at one end on the lower bearing 7 and its upper end exerts pressure upon a split collar 11 which is adjustably and rigidly secured to the standard 5 by means of a clamping screw 12 which is operated by a handle 13. A foot lever 14 is connected at one end to the support 9 and below the bracket 8, and its intermediate portion is connected by a link 15 to the collar 11, clearance being provided between the lever and the floor for permitting downward movement of the lever under foot pressure.

16 is a socket for receiving the lower end portion of the can 0 to be operated upon, the socket being adjustable upon a table 17. 18 is a bracket carried by the socket and adapted for simultaneously receiving a threaded stud 19 upon table 17, and 20 is a thumb nut screwed upon the stud and operating to secure the bracket together with the sockets 16 centrally of the table 17 and vac uum chamber 8. A socket 21 on the lower side of the table receives the upper end of standard 5 which is connected to the table by means of a set screw 22 extending through the socket 21. The normal clearance between the socket 16 and lower end of vacuum chamher a is less than the height of the cam 0 to be operated upon. In arranging can 0 in socket 16, foot lever 14 is depressed to provide the necessary clearance for the can between the table and the vacuum chamber a. This downward movement on the part of the table and standard 5 operates to tension spring 10 so that when the can is arranged within the socket and the foot lever released, the spring operates to elevate the table and dispose the upper end of the can in contact with the vacuum chamber a. Prori e Of t j ta l co ne n e e n the collar 1.1 and standard permits of arranging the can supporting device I) for various distances from the vacuum chamber a in order to accommodate cans of various heights, and in order to prevent turning movement of the table 17 and standard 5, a rod 23 is connected at one end to the collar 11 and its opposite end is adapted to engage with and slide upon the base of bracket 8 as shown.

WVhen the can 0 is elevated into contact with vacuum chamber a, the top plate or cover of the can abuts against a gasket 24 of flexible material such as rubber, and the upper pressure upon the can exerted by spring operates to depress the gasket 24 against the top of the can in an air-tight manner. The gasket surrounds a central opening 25 in chamber a; and is retained by a circular flange 26 in the bottom plate 27 in which opening 25 is formed. 28 is a pipe extending from a vacuum pump, not shown, and directed into the upper end portion of chamber a. This pipe has a three way valve fitting 29 located exteriorly of and adjacent to the chamber a, and an operating handle 30 is provided to turn the valve of the fitting to open and close.

30 is a soldering tool wholly disposed within the chamber a, and arranged centrally of the opening 25. The tool 30' is electrically heated in a well-known manner, and the circuit wires which are included in the cable 31 are connected to the tool in the usual way and extend through a rubber bushing 32 in one of the side walls 33 of chamber a. The bushing is of ordinary construction and adapted to engage around the cable 31 in an air-tight manner. The tool 30 has a plurality of arms 34 extending at right angles thereto, and these arms are provided with slides 35 which are fitted upon vertically disposed guide bars 36 depending from a plate 37 which is suitably secured to the top plate 38 of the frame as by bolts 39 and nuts 40. The soldering tool 30' is reciprocable vertically through the opening 25 and into and out of contact with the center of the top of the can 0 by a rock arm 41 which has in its free end portion a slot 42 that engages a pin 43 extending laterally from tool 30. The rock arm is rigidly secured to a rock shaft 44 that extends through a horizontally disposed sleeve or bearing 45 in the side wall 46 of the chamber, and an operating handle 47 is connected to the outer end portion of the shaft 44 exteriorly of the chamber so that when this arm is manipulated, the tool is caused to reciprocate within the chamber.

A retractile spring 48 is connected to the rock arm 41 and to any suitable point, such as the plate 37 within the chamber, and operates to yieldingly hold the soldering tool with its lower end elevated above the bottom plate 27 and opening 25. A puncturing tool 49, comprising a cylindrical 51 arranged in Vertical alinement and secured to the side wall 46 of the chamber. The lower end portion of the shank is offset as at 52, and is provided with a depending sharpened point 53. A pin 54 extends laterally from the shank. and between the bearings 51, and is disposed in a cam slot 55 which extends obliquely downward through a portion of its length and then vertically downward and is out within a plate 56 which is rigidly secured, such as to the upper of the bearings 51. The pin 54 is herein shown as extending through a collar 57 surrounding shank 49 and operates to secure the collar against displacement. The collar and the lower bearing 51 confine a compression spring 58 therebetween, and the spring operates to yieldingly hold the pin 54 at the upper end of cam slot 55. The offset portion 52 extends so that the point 53 overlies the edge of opening 25 when the pin 54 is at the upper end of slot 55.

A presser foot 59 bears upon the upper end of shank 50 and is rigidly .secured to a rock shaft 60 disposed above rock shaft 44 and arranged in a bearing 61 carried by the side wall 46. Rock shaft 60 extends outwardly beyond side wall 46 and is provided with an operating handle 62 which when manipulated causes the presser foot to move the puncturing tool downwardly, the spring 58 operating to return the tool when operating handle 62 is released. Then the puncturing tool moves downwardly from the position shown in Figure 5, the lower side of cam slot 55 operates to turn pin 54 and with it the shank 50, and the offset portion 52 is so disposed that in the turn ing of the shank 50, the point 53 is swung into a position directly over the center of opening 25 so that when pin 54 enters the downwardly extending lower end portion of slot 55, point 53 is moved through the opening and operates to puncture the top of the cover of can 0 at the central portion thereof.

In the operation of the device thus far described, foot lever 14 is operated so as to provide a clearance between socket 16 and chamber a for the reception of can 0, and when the can is adjusted within socket 16, the foot lever is released and contact is effected between gasket 24 and the top plate or cover of the can in the upward movement of the parts under the action of spring 10. Operating handle 62 is then manipulated to actuate the puncturing tool to puncture the top of can 0, after which operating handle 30 is manipulated to open the valve of fitting 29 whereupon the air is exhausted from within the chamber and also from within can 0 through the opening made in the top thereof by the puncturing tool.

A gauge 63 indicates the degree of vacuum or tenuity created within chamber a by the action of the Vacuum pump, and when the required degree of vacuum is had, the same may be preserved by partly opening the cock 64 in the upper portion of one of the walls of the chamber. After the puncturing tool is restored to its initial position by spring 58 and the required degree of vacuum had within chamber a, the punctured opening in the top of can 0 is ready for sealing.

Referring now to Figure 1, 65 indicates a length of solder wire which may form part of a reel of wire, not shown, and suspended adjacent to chamber a. The free end of length 65 extends through a sleeve 66 whlch is disposed in the lower end portion of one of the side walls of chamber a opposite to puncturing tool 49, the said sleeve being arranged so as to extend obliquely downward and thereby direct the inner end of the soldering wire 65 to the perforation in the top of can 0 and into the path of movement of the soldering tool The outer end portion of the sleeve is provided with a packing gland 67 which surrounds the wire in an air-tight manner, and further operates to frictionallv hold the wire so that the same may be fed manually through the sleeve. With this construction, it is obvious that the soldering tool will operate when moved downwardly to melt and thereby remove suflicient solder from the inner end of length 65 and deposit the same over and around the puncture in the top of the can. lVhen the operation of soldering is completed, the three way valve in fitting 29 is operated to cut off the vacuum pump and to effect communication between the interior of the chamber and the outside atmosphere in order to restore the pressure within chamher a to that of the outside atmosphere and permit the lowering of part b and can 0 from its position underneath the chamber a.

Sight openings in the form of glass panels 68 are arranged in opposite walls of chamber a, and in the lower portions of these walls, and are retained by clamping rings 69 secured by screws 70. The provision of these openings permits the operator to observe the operation of the puncturing tool and the location of the solder with respect to the soldering tool in the operation of these parts.

Although I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of various changes; and I reserve the right to employ such as may come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A vacuumizing machine comprising a vacuum chamber open at one end, said chamber having a sealing gasket at its open end, means for advancing a can against the gasket to bring one of its heads across the open end of the chamber in sealed contact with said gasket, means for inducing suction in the chamber, axially movable solder ing mechanism within the chamber, and a movably mounted puncturing device within the chamber adapted to be moved to axially coincide with the soldering mechanism and to be advanced lengthwise of the can and relatively of the open end of the chamber, so as to form a hole in the adjacent head of the can prior to the operation of advancing the soldering mechanism into sealing relation to the can, and means for shifting the position of the puncturing device to a point laterally of the path of movement of the soldering mechanism.

2. In a vacuumizing machine, a vacuumizing chamber open at one end and provided with means to permit one end of the can to be brought into sealed contact with the open end of the chamber during a vacuumizing interval, can puncturing mechanism movably mounted within the chamber, soldering mechanism movably mounted within the chamber, said mechanisms adapted to be axially presented with respect to one head of the can to be operated upon, instrumentalities to permit of the successiveppfiilizi. ations of said mechanisms, and means for changing the relativepositions ofsaid mechanisms duringflthe--periodioffadvanci lg the soldering mechanism against the can. W

3. An apparatus""foi vaciiuiiiiiing and sealing cans comprising side and end walls, one of the end walls having an opening, a vacuumizing connection for the chamber, means cooperating with the chamber for clamping a can therebetween so that an end wall of the can forms an air-tight closure for the opening of the chamber, a puncturing tool located within the chamber and having an offset sharpened end portion normally located to one side of the opening of the chamber, means located exteriorly of the chamber and connected to the puncturing tool for moving the same axially and angularly so that the pointed offset end portion thereof is moved through the central portion of the opening of the chamber and through the cover of a can when the same forms a closure for the opening of the chamber, a movable soldering tool disposed within the chamber and arranged substantially in axial alinement with the opening of the chamber, means for moving the soldering tool downwardly through the central portion of the said opening of the chamber and means for supporting a strip of solderin the path of movement of the soldering tool for the purpose described.

4:. An apparatus for Vacuumizing and sealing cans comprising side and end walls, one of the end walls having an opening, a vacuumizing connection for the chamber, means cooperating with the chamber for clamping a can therebetween so that an end wall of the can forms an air-tight closure for the opening of the chamber, a movable puncturing tool wholly located within the c iamber and having a sharpened offset end portion, means for yieldingly holding the puncturing tool so that the sharpened offset end portion thereof is disposed to one s'de of the opening of the chamber, means located exteriorly of the chamber and connected to the puncturing tool for moving the same axially and angularly so that the pointed offset end portion thereof is moved through the central portion of the opening of the chamber and through the cover of a can when the same forms a closure for the opening of the chamber, a movable soldering tool disposed within the chamber and arranged substantially in axial alinement with the opening of the chamber, means for moving the soldering tool downwardly through the central portion of the said opening of the chamber and means for supporting a strip of solder in the path of movement of the soldering tool for the purpose described.

5. An apparatus for vacuumizing and sealing cans comprising side and end walls, one of the end walls having an opening, a vacuumizing connection for the chamber, means cooperating with the chamber for clamping a can therebetween so that an end wall of the can forms an air-tight closure for the opening of the chamber, a movable puncturing tool wholly located within the chamber and. having a sharpened offset end portion, means for yieldingly holding the puncturing tool so that the sharpened offset end portion thereof is disposed to one side of the opening of the chamber, means located exteriorly of the chamber and connected to the puncturing tool for moving the same axially and angularly so that the pointed offset end portion thereof is moved through the central portion of the opening of the cham-. ber and through the cover of a. can when the same forms a closure for the opening of the chamber, and a vertically movable soldering tool wholly disposed within the chamber and disposed in axial alinement with the opening thereof, means foryieldingly holding the soldering tool in spaced relation to the opening of the chamber and means located exteriorly of the chamber for moving the soldering tool through the opening of the chamber and into operative relation to a perforation made in the end wall of the can when the same forms a closure for the opening of the chamber, and means for supporting a length of solder with one end thereof disposed within the chamber and in the path of movement of the soldering tool for the purpose described.

6. An apparatus for vacuumizing and sealing cans comprising a vacuum chamber having side and end Walls, one of the end walls having an opening, a vacuumizing connection for the chamber, means within the chamber adapted for perforating the end wall of a can and a soldering device for sealing the punctured opening, means for operating the said puncturing means and soldering device and connected thereto and located exteriorly of the chamber and means cooperating with the chamber for clamping a can therebetween so that an end wall thereof forms a closurefor the opening of the chamber and is disposed in operative relation to the puncturing tool and soldering device, said means including an axially movable support and means tending to urge the support to move toward the chamber when a can is clamped between the support and the chamber.

ANDREW E. LINDSTROM. 

